Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Matching 317

Matching Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 317

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). The way you get to a V3 statement is to start running the business and charging customers. Although this post is about what I look for, every investor (incl pre-seed investors) looks for this.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Etc… At the pre-seed stage, a big way to stand out is if you have a V3 statement (as opposed to a V1 statement). The way you get to a V3 statement is to start running the business and charging customers. Although this post is about what I look for, every investor (incl pre-seed investors) looks for this.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Mucker Lab

APRIL 6, 2023

Are there types of companies, market segments, industries, or business models where PLG does not make sense? Today, a lot of the PLG SaaS tools require sales motion upfront because nobody understands those tools. Those types of tools actually require work in the initial days of the sales motion. That’s the success.

Product 78

Product CTO Hire Startup Fractional CTO 78

David Teten

MARCH 18, 2021

2) Business model-defined funds. For example, Point Nine Capital focuses on B2B SaaS and marketplaces at the seed stage, across many industries. B2B vs B2C) within the business model preference. . Real sees 80% of all seed deals in Canada. . “software”); 43 invest in 2 types of technology (e.g.,

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Cofounder Venture Capital Deal Flow 78

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2014

Once our sales reached a sustainable level, I brought on apparel pro Nathan Kohrs to round out the Argoz management team, which allowed me to step aside to serve as chairman. Here are a few of my “rules” for young investors and inventors on the new VC paradigm path for starting new businesses: Remove the costs.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Business Model Silicon Valley Coder 154

View from Seed

APRIL 30, 2015

In many instances, you raise an institutional round to either fulfill a product strategy or go-to-market strategy or you’re increasing sales and marketing hires, so you have better visibility into what needs to happen in the next six, 12, 18 months. NVV: Let’s talk about the seed stage specifically. Business model?

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Equity Startup Seed Stage 120

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

*This post is part of our “pitch deck” series where we dissect the seed stage pitch deck and discuss the ideal flow for a pitch. I mention this in more detail in this post about Competition Crushing business Models. You can read the rest of the posts in the series by clicking here *.

Seed Stage 192

Seed Stage Metrics PR Leadership 192

View from Seed

JUNE 11, 2019

I believe it’s more important to optimize on the right lead investor vs. the highest valuations at the seed stage (within reason). The strongest investors usually aren’t cheap, but typically don’t do things outside of the normal bounds for a company at the seed stage.

Syndicate 202

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Lead Investor 202

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

These firms can provide various services, including financing and business advice. They can also help you develop your product and sales channels. VC funding is best suited for businesses with high growth potential. Pre-Seed Investments. They also look for a robust business model and product/market fit.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

Agile VC

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

This is especially true for those with a media / ad based business model (e.g. You will be benchmarked on revenue and paying customers when you seek Series A funding… conceivably even at seed stage. But B2B startups need to take a different tack.

Revenue 234

Revenue Product B2B Marketing 234

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Seed-stage compatible: Like traditional equity VC investors, Flexible VCs accomodate early-stage investment risk within their portfolios better than a traditional RBI funder. Eligible for favorable treatment under Qualified Small Business Stock exemption, if structured as equity. Typical business stage.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2016

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Angel Investor Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2015

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Even fewer are able to grow the startup into a viable business. Here is a summary of the key stages along the way: Idea and seed stage.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Seed Stage Angel Investor Business Model 120

David Teten

DECEMBER 12, 2017

645 Ventures , a New York City based VC firm, is one of the pioneers of a data-driven investment model to the seed stage. We are taking a mathematical (weighted coefficients estimation, probabilistic modelling, etc), human-system hybrid approach to early stage investing through this tool.

Early Stage 60

Early Stage Technical Review Software Review Venture Capital 60

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

For the first-time entrepreneur or founder looking for seed stage funding, this circle can be especially difficult to penetrate. Mashable Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their wisdom with the rest of us. and Path Intelligence. .&#

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80

BeyondVC

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

BOLDstart helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round. helps founders at the seed stage accelerate their growth from idea/ alpha phase to product market fit and successful Series A round”.

Seed Stage 110

Seed Stage Agile Viral API 110

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

– Mike [link] Reply Jeff Skinner , on May 24, 2010 at 9:28 am said: Steve, you don’t know me though I use your ‘Customer Development process’ video in my classes (Entrepreneurship at London Business School). Jeff skinner Faculty, London Business School. There is nothing on sales. removed from the list.

Software Review 110

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics 110

Hippoland

JANUARY 29, 2016

Even though there are a lot of web resources on how to put together a pitch deck for seed-stage companies, most don’t address how many decks you need and for what purpose. In addition to the other slides from your email deck, include your business model, 1-2 key unit economics (LTV, CAC, churn, etc), etc.

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Angel Investor Entrepreneur Forecast 48

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Think about it – if you’re using MailChimp and make let’s say $100 in sales for every send. And just play the probabilities in your head of who will actually be likely to invest in a random company at your stage. In order to bootstrap your way to success, it largely means you need high margins and fast sales cycles.

Sales Cycle 54

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 54

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Think about it – if you’re using MailChimp and make let’s say $100 in sales for every send. And just play the probabilities in your head of who will actually be likely to invest in a random company at your stage. In order to bootstrap your way to success, it largely means you need high margins and fast sales cycles.

Sales Cycle 48

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 48

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Microsofts originalplan was to make money selling programming languages, of all things.Their current business model didnt occur to them until IBM droppedit in their lap five years later. The woman in charge of sales was so tenacious that I used to feelsorry for potential customers on the phone with her. Watch them.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

Tim Keane

OCTOBER 3, 2012

 They believe they can see the market need, sometimes make a personal decision about whether they would buy or not, and get "bought in" by the prospective sales pitch to the market.   I talked to a company recently that had market risk in the educational business but also had a distribution agreement with a big player.

Technology 74

Technology Marketing Intellectual Property Montana 74

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 15, 2020

You're selling a consumable product, which is a great business model. Any venture capitalist will tell you, "That's why we take a wide spectrum of that at the seed stage." How would you make the case to a scientist to say, "This is not an invasion of the scientific domain by bogus business concept."

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Software Review Finance Technology 68

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

turn customer feedback into sales and relationships. Seed Stage Valuation Guide. SaaS Sales Team Compensation â?? broken vc model. Business Culture. Business Model Canvas. Business plan. business symbiosis. Startups For Sale. SnapEngage â?? Zendesk â?? web help software.

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

Agile VC

JUNE 12, 2012

The rason d’etre for LevelUp (like most other firms) is to tap into the retailer’s marketing budget (10-20% of sales potentially) rather than reduce interchange. ” I think the crux of SQUARE’s business model is obviating the need for merchants to have an acquirer account with a bank. Read More ».

Mobile 250

Mobile Disintermediation SMS Government 250

grasshopperherder.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

If there is traction, ok…there are some benchmarks and you can look at seed stage funding rounds. While it’s flattering that someone might think I’m capable of immediately grasping all the complexities of the business instantly, it’s a bit unrealistic. You don’t have a defensible business model.

Sweat Equity 41

Sweat Equity Equity Cofounder Non-Compete 41